Corey Crawford

It's a whole different kind of shame for goalies who get penalized in hockey. Even when they commit a penalty, somebody else gets sent to the box while he stays on the ice to face a power play. To get the goalie's take on the "sin bin," RedEye caught up with the Blackhawks' Corey Crawford. Have you ever been put in the penalty box? Corey Crawford: I started as a forward and then I was a [defenseman] before I became a goalie. So, yeah, I've been in the box. Do you feel guilty about another player serving your penalty?

Any player who tells you home-ice advantage makes no difference is probably lying. No doubt the Blackhawks were thrilled Sunday's Game 7 of the Western Conference finals was in Chicago and not in the Kings' home arena. "[Game 5 on Wednesday] was probably the loudest I've ever [heard the crowd] in the United Center," Hawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson said Saturday. "It was unbelievable the way the crowd gave us energy. " The Hawks were hoping the fans saved their best for last.

The puck stops with Corey Crawford. In the first two games of the NHL's Western Conference finals against the defending Stanley Cup champion L.A. Kings, the 28-year-old Blackhawks goalie has recorded 50 saves and led his team to a 2-0 series lead. Crawford's been nothing less than clutch during the playoffs, and his efforts - including a first-round shutout against Minnesota and a postseason-high 35 saves in Game 6 against Detroit - have not gone unnoticed by teammates or fans as the Hawks head to L.A. for Game 3 on Tuesday.

Desperation can be a good thing. Especially when it's about all you have left. Use any cliché you want: The Blackhawks' quest to repeat as Stanley Cup champs was on the line Wednesday at the United Center, down 3-1 to the L.A. Kings in the Western Conference finals. And really, the Blackhawks needed some combination of desperate and dazzling to force a Game 6. Otherwise, they were simply doomed. FIRST PERIOD Dazzling: What's this? Why, it's a Blackhawks power play goal!

Corey Crawford is a fan of sparkly things. The Blackhawks goaltender, who led the team to the Stanley Cup title in June, will light the tree at Willis Tower on Monday. While it's not quite as shiny as the Cup, the 1,000 ornaments might make it seem that way. Crawford also will kick off the building's holiday toy drive. The event begins at 4 p.m. with Crawford flipping the switch to the 10,000 lights on the building's 48-foot tree, joined by choral students from Catherine Cook School.

Jonathan Toews and Corey Crawford were huge in the Blackhawks' win over the L.A. Kings in Game 1 at the United Center. Toews had plenty of praise for the goaltender's clutch saves, and Crawford says the rules are made to protect goalies.

Remember this guy? Kris Versteeg, who helped the Blackhawks hoist the Stanley Cup in 2010, is back, and hopefully his rap skills (?) are too. The winger is back with the Hawks after a trade from the Florida Panthers that was announced last night. His 2010 impromptu "rap" from the championship victory parade was about as infamous as 2013's "f***** right Chicago!" from Corey Crawford. Versteeg's actually become quite infamous for his singing in and out of the locker room.

Brandon Bollig. Brent Seabrook. Bryan Bickell. Corey Crawford. Not exactly the house-hold Blackhawks names Chicagoan are used to hearing. But they are the four players that have stepped into the spotlight so far in the Blackhaws' Stanley Cup Playoffs matchup with Phoenix. The two teams bring their intense battle to the United Center on Tuesday, where one team will skate away with a 2-1 series lead after the two split the opening two games in Glendale, Ariz. And the players mentioned above are a big...

The last time fans saw the Hawks players together, Corey Crawford delivered a memorable speech where he and "biggest bunch of beauties in the league," as he called them, got the rock star treatment in Grant Park. The team was together for one more victory lap with the Stanley Cup this weekend at the Blackhawks Convention at the Hilton Chicago. In welcoming fans to the convention, Jonathan Toews said, "I'm sure you guys are getting pretty bored at my speeches. It's pretty much the same thing every year.

Quietly - and to the surprise of some - Corey Crawford is becoming one of the NHL's best goaltenders. "As a team we want to keep raising our level of play as the stage gets bigger and bigger, but I think if there's anyone that's doing that, it's Crow," Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews said after Crawford made 25 saves in Game 1. Entering Wednesday, he led all net minders in the 2014 postseason with a 1.90 goals-against average and his save...

Jonathan Toews and Corey Crawford were huge in the Blackhawks' win over the L.A. Kings in Game 1 at the United Center. Toews had plenty of praise for the goaltender's clutch saves, and Crawford says the rules are made to protect goalies.

Through 30 minutes of Sunday's Western Conference finals opener, the Blackhawks had been out-shot, out-hit and out-skated by the L.A. Kings. A Jonathan Toews goal was wiped off the scoreboard, the Kings flicked one past Corey Crawford and the United Center crowd's collective hands were awfully warm thanks to their comfy homes underneath their butts. The 2012 champion Kings were just 38 hours and 2,000 miles removed from a Game 7, but they seemed primed for stealing home-ice advantage from the tentative Hawks.

5-0. That's Australian Blackhawks fan Paul Wilkins' record when he attends games at the United Center. Hard to argue with that success. Same goes for just about everything Hawks related Sunday. Wilkins ( @pwilkins10 ) and more than 21,000 others saw Chicago knock off the L.A. Kings 3-1 in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals Sunday at the United Center. The Hawks take a 1-0 series lead into Game 2 on Wednesday at the United Center. Goals by Brandon Saad, Duncan Keith and Jonathan Toews backed Corey Crawford's 25 saves.

Moms are the best. They're always there when you need them, especially when it comes to advice. Of course, that requires that you actually pay attention. There were moments in Sunday's Game 5 between the Blackhawks and Minnesota when the message was getting through - and others when you weren't so sure. FIRST PERIOD You should know better. Come on, Brent Seabrook . You saw how the Wild broke your team's back with a late power-play goal in Game 4, and still you go and take a silly tripping penalty at center ice 29 seconds into the game.

Before Tuesday's Game 3 between the Blackhawksand Phoenix even began, fans on both sides of the suddenly intense series had plenty to chew on. Hawks winger Andrew Shaw's punishment finally was going to be revealed in the wake of his Saturday night hit on Phoenix goalie Mike Smith. As the day dragged on, however, the NHL was silent on the matter. Blackhawks fans were not pleased with the delay. Finally, in the late afternoon, the verdict came down: Shaw was suspended three games.

Barely three months ago, the Blackhawks captured their second Stanley Cup in four seasons. Well, it's go time again. The first step on the road to a possible repeat: a home game against the loaded Washington Capitals. Yep, this ain't gonna be easy. But you gotta start somewhere. How did this matchup play out on our repeat scale? Check back throughout the game for updates. FIRST PERIOD Relative Hawks newbie Jimmy Hayes draws a high-sticking penalty and checks for blood, two minutes into the game.

It was useless for Minnesota to resist. The Blackhawks, with legitimate delusions of Stanley Cup grandeur, have a 2-0 lead in their playoff series against Minnesota after a 4-1 win Sunday at the United Center. Maybe it was the force - Sunday was May the 4 th , aka "Star Wars Day" - that propelled the Hawks to victory. They looked shaky at times but overwhelmed Minnesota when they had to, scoring two goals in the third period to put the game out of reach. "They're a patient team and they play well defensively, and sometimes when they do that you get frustrated," Hawks forward...

I'm not a virgin anymore. Yeah, that's right, I went to my first hockey game this weekend - the second-round opener between the Blackhawks and Minnesota. And boy, was it a wild one. I remember my first football game. Jerry Rice lit up the Saints for about 150 yards and two touchdowns. My first baseball game was just as impressive. Chipper Jones hit an eighth-inning home run for the Braves and my favorite right fielder at the time, Jermaine Dye, threw someone out trying to advance from first to third.